Australia fullback Israel Folau says he had chances to ease tensions amid the furore over his social media post and get back to playing rugby but had resisted them all because it would be doing “Satan’s work".
Folau is awaiting sanction after being found guilty of a "high-level" breach of Rugby Australia’s code of conduct for posting on social media that hell awaits "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers" and others.
The 73-cap Wallaby told his church congregation in Sydney that he understood he could lose his contract over the post but was not prepared to back-track for “material” comforts
He said: “There have been many opportunities to potentially make the situation a little bit easier. I could go back and play the game, get everything back to the way it used to be.
“The way Satan works is he offers you stuff that could look good to the eye and makes you feel comfortable, and if you go down that path all the worries and troubles will go away. It is always the will of God that comes first.”